That's nearly 10 times what Avatar - the highest-grossing film of all time - pulled in on its opening weekend in 2009.

Earlier this year, Avengers: Infinity War broke records by hauling a mammoth US$625 million on its opening weekend - but even Marvel's biggest movie yet has been beaten by the latest from Rockstar Games, which also makes the Grand Theft Auto series.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is also a critical success as the highest-rated game of 2018 so far by reviewers with a Metacritic score of 97 / 100. Before its release, God of War was the highest-ranked game of the year by critics, with a score of 94.

Although the new game has the biggest opening weekend on record, it's the second biggest opening three day period ever. Grand Theft Auto V was released on a Tuesday in 2013 and pulled in more than US$1 billion in its three days.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is rated R16 in New Zealand, with censors citing its "violence, cruelty and offensive language".